Ditch those store bought turnovers, mine are so simple!
Cheery Cheese Turnovers are a must.
I've
often said one of my bucket list dream jobs would be to work in a
bakery. Maybe minus the 3 a.m. wake up calls....obviously.
My favorite part would be putting the finishing touches on the baked
goods and sliding them into the glass case in the front for all the
customers to see.
Ahhh!
I would just love it.
Oh,
and I would not be decorating or icing cakes. That is NOT my thing.
I'd be more of the “baker” if you will. Do they have jobs just
for that?
These
turnovers would be selling like hotcakes every morning! They remind
me of the fresh turnovers we get every fall when my daughter's
preschool goes on their yearly trip to the apple orchard. The aroma
hits you as soon as you walk into their rustic barn store. I'm
usually “that mom” walking out holding two boxes worth.
Hey, they freeze
well.
I
wanted to replicate these turnovers at home. I knew instantly I
would use my simple pastry dough recipe. Can you believe it only
contains three ingredients? It is very versatile. I actually use it
in my Buffalo
Chicken Hand Pies!
Yes,
it works wonders on savory recipes as well. I mean, go ahead and
stuff Nutella in it, of course, or stuff sausage, peppers and onions
in it. Heck, you could even stuff peanut butter and jelly in it and
make the fanciest kid sandwich known to man. You really can do
anything with it.
But
today, my friends I cooked down fresh cherries {that I picked from
my friend's tree last summer} and boiled them down until they
were thick and syrupy.
And
because I cannot make any recipe without some form of cheese, mix it
with a block of cream cheese and watch all the kids swoon. My
preschooler ate a whole one after school the day I made them and then
asked for ANOTHER!
When
asking her what her favorite part of them was, she said, “the
cherries!” “Wait, the crust!” “Never mind, it's the
frosting!”
“Mom, I don't
know, I can't pick.”
Oh
the frustrations of loving desserts. The poor girl was torn over
what part was better. I have set her up for pastry failure later in
life.
Once
you have these babies stuffed, pinched, baked and drizzled with
glaze, take a moment to let them cool. They are great at room
temperature, or slightly warm if you can't wait for them to cool.
And they are great pulled from the freezer a month later! Yes, they
freeze awesome.
Or
make a smart move like I did and give half of them away. Three went
to my daughter's preschool teachers and a couple went to a friend.
I
could not be trusted with these things hanging around!
If
making for a crowd {a baby or wedding shower would be fun!},
you could also, make mini versions or bite-sized turnovers to stretch
the recipe a bit. People would flip out. I'm sure of it.
Homemade
pastries do not need to be intimidating. You can do this! Three
ingredient dough and a simple filling, topped with a three ingredient
glaze. Super simple.
And
people will love you forever.
Interested
in other cherry recipes? I personally think it is a fruit that
sometimes gets a bad rap, but really they are easy to work with and
people love the darn things. Get cooking!
Cherry Cheese Turnovers
For the pastry dough:
1/2 c. butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1.5 c. flour
For the filling:
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 c. pitted, fresh or frozen cheeries
1/2 c. sugar
1 T. cornstarch
1/4 c. water
For the glaze:
1 c. powdered sugar
1 t. almond extract
enough milk to thin out the frosting
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a stand mixer combine the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in flour until dough forms. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
3. In a saucepan heat the cherries and sugar to a medium heat, cooking at a simmer. Mix together the cornstarch and water and stir into the cherries continuing to stir. After a few minutes it will start to thicken. Take off the heat and set aside. Once a bit cool, stir into the softened cream cheese.
4. Unwrap the dough and place on a floured surface. Flatten dough to 1/4 of an inch thickness, in a circle shape. Cut {like a pizza} into 8 slices.
5. Place a rounded spoonful at the edge of the dough and fold over the other side. Place a fork in flour and crimp the edges to seal. Place on a greased cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
7. For the frosting stir together the powdered sugar and almond extract. Then add the milk 1 T. at a time until it becomes a thin glaze.
8. Spoon the glaze over the turnovers liberally. If enough glaze is left over, glaze them twice!
